You're faced with a client wanting to cut costs. How can you ensure accessibility isn't compromised?

1 Prioritize Needs

Begin by identifying the non-negotiable elements of accessibility that must be preserved. These are the aspects that if removed, would significantly hinder the experience of users with disabilities. By prioritizing these core features, you can create a hierarchy of needs that helps guide where costs can be safely reduced without compromising essential accessibility. This approach ensures that the most critical elements are protected even when budgets are tight.

2 Educate Clients

Educating your client on the importance of accessibility is crucial. Explain that a truly accessible product extends its reach to a wider audience, including those with disabilities. Highlight how maintaining accessibility can lead to better user satisfaction and potential legal compliance benefits. By framing accessibility as an investment rather than a cost, you may convince your client to allocate the necessary resources to preserve these vital features.

3 Simplify Design

Adopting a simpler design can reduce development costs while maintaining accessibility. For example, a clean layout with high contrast and large clickable areas benefits all users, especially those with visual impairments or motor difficulties. Simplification also means fewer elements to code, test, and maintain, which can lead to significant savings without sacrificing the user experience for those with accessibility needs.

4 Leverage Tools

Utilize free or low-cost tools and resources that can help maintain accessibility standards without inflating the budget. There are numerous automated testing tools that can identify accessibility issues early in the design process, which can reduce costly fixes later on. By integrating these tools into your workflow, you can ensure that accessibility remains a priority throughout the development process.

5 Optimize Processes

Streamline your development process to eliminate inefficiencies that can lead to unnecessary expenses. By adopting agile methodologies or other iterative approaches, you can focus on delivering the most important features first, including those related to accessibility. This not only helps in managing costs but also ensures that the product remains accessible at every stage of development.

6 Reuse Solutions

Encourage the reuse of accessible design solutions from past projects. This can save time and resources in development, as well as ensure that tested and proven accessibility features are implemented. By building a library of reusable components and patterns that adhere to accessibility standards, you can efficiently integrate these into new projects without starting from scratch.